The car is the star – at Limassol Motor Show & Motion 2018 and Cyprus Classic Motor Museum

Sep 13, 2018

The Limassol Motor Show & Motion Exhibition returns to Limassol Old Port, 14th – 16th of September. It’s just 6.2 kms (3.8 miles) from Londa Hotel, a healthy stroll for some late summer guests. Others might prefer a taxi – it is a motor show, after all!

Taking the car is definitely the main way to travel for both locals and visitors. That’s because ever since the closure of the Cyprus Government Railway in December 1951, no train system has ever operated on the island! While buses are the only means of public transport, some routes may not serve some of the more ‘out of the way’ places of interest for explorers of the authentic cultural kind!

Cyprus actually holds one of the highest car ownership rates in the world. Annual car registrations in Cyprus averaged 3,200 from 1991 until 2018, according to the International Road Federation. Of a population of 1.17 million in 2016, there were 595 road motor vehicles per 1,000 inhabitants in the same year (Passenger Cars in the EU, Report 2016).

View and test new luxury models for the first time

So its no surprise that there was such keen interest in the first Limassol Motor Show in 2017 – and this year we’re promised even more for the whole family to enjoy, and which is free entrance. Over three days, visitors will have a unique opportunity to view and test new luxury models for the first time – including latest generation electric cars- from major global brands such as Lexus, BMW and Toyota.

Many companies will also be unveiling their new two-wheeled models – motorcycles, bikes and quadbikes, from 50 to 1300 cc – for the first time, from top brands including Benelli, Yamaha, Moto Guzzi, Aprilia, Gilera, Piagio, Vespa and Indian.

While the adults are busy looking and even playing with shiny new toys, the kids are also catered for too! A Road Behaviour Park has been set up for children to drive any car model in virtual reality! Speed Racer, Panikos Polycarpou – in association with the Road Safety Volunteers of Limassol Traffic – will also be instructing youngsters on the rules of road safety.

Also during the show, visitors can get close and personal with the custom-made Rally Car, from the “Rally Raid” – a form of long distance off-road, cross-country racing – which completed the recent Dakar Rally. Lithuanian stunt rider Aras Gibieza, will also be running through some of his daring, heart-stopping routines – not to be missed!

Cyprus Historic and Classic Motor Museum stunning collection

One of the supporters of the motor show is the Cyprus Historic and Classic Motor Museum. First established in February 2014, the museum has assembled a stunning collection of iconic vehicles from the last 100 years, the oldest being a magnificent 1912 Ford Model T roadster. Recently the museum moved to a bigger, more spacious 3,000 sq.m. space, which is not only home for a huge collection of classic cars but also a high quality space for the secure storage of valuable cars and luxury boats.

The museum has developed its presence to bring together lovers of classic and historic vehicles, and the opportunity to experience riding in one of the Museum’s classic cars, which can be hired for a special occasion, complete with driver.

Gleaming wedding day white

For ‘getting to the church on time’ couples can choose to travel in one of a number of iconic 20th century vehicles, including the Overland Wills (1925), Citroen Avant (1952), Cadillac de Ville (1969) and Rolls Royce Shadow (1970) – all in gleaming wedding day white! Between May and October – the height of the wedding season in Cyprus – Londa Hotel can expect to see one or more of these lustrous chromed carriages regularly drawing up at the entrance to deliver the loving couple at the start of the celebrations.

Visitors to the museum (open Mon – Fri: 09:00 – 17:00 Sa | Sun: 10:00 – 18:00) can spot amongst the elegantly shining rows of historic vehicles, the armoured Cadillac especially built for President Makarios II in 1977. Donated by the U.S. government – but was never actually used by the Greek statesman – it sports armour plating weighs 4.2 tons, bulletproof windows that do not open, and air conditioning with added protection against a gas attack.

Other notable vehicles include Mr Bean’s well-known green Mini with the outside padlock, and one of the Rover P5 cars used by former UK Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher.